NFL News BO NIX BROKE HIS ANKLE: OUT FOR SEASON

[TinhWoodhead]

Didn’t even care as long as Drake’s there.

We want to win but I want a good game too

 

[farn]

We want to win but I want a good game too

I don’t even want a good game. Winning 9-3 to play in the SB ? Yes, please !

 

[Rob0729]

BTW, Both Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant were injured yesterday and their status for next week is up in the air. They are the Broncos second and third best WRs. Franklin went out with a hamstring injury and didn't return. Bryant had a concussion.

So not only will the Broncos have Stidham as the starter, but they will likely be short handed at WR.

 

[farn]

I’m not convinced NE moves on today. They have a shot, which is what you want. But if they are fortunate enough to play the AFCCG with a healthy Drake Maye, I like their chances.

 

[fnordcircle]

So the AFC Team that's beats them now as an *asterisk* on their SB birth??

They only do that with us, it feels like.

Steelers beat the Cards and Colts beat the Bears and neither of those AFC teams would have lasted past the divisional round in the AFC those years. But you never hear "Oh Tomlin's one SB victory doesn't count because Tom Brady was injured." or "Manning's only SB win with the Colts doesn't count because he was facing Rex ****ing Grossman."

 

[Rob0729]

So the AFC Team that's beats them now as an *asterisk* on their SB birth??

If it is the Patriots, the haters definitely will say there is an asterisk and that the Patriots still haven't played anyone.

But who cares? If the Pats win the Super Bowl, all that BS will be forgotten. The Lombardi trophy won't. The 72 Dolphins had a historically easy schedule in their undefeated season. Easier than the Patriots' schedule. No one talks about that.

 

[Thelonious]

To be honest, as I was watching the Denver/Buffalo game, I was thinking we probably would not do well against the Broncos if they won the game, I knew they had a really good D, but I had figured that their offense, with Nix at the helm, would give us the edge. Nix was looking pretty darn good, though, both throwing and running, and their offensive coaching looked superior, which eroded another area in which I thought we would have a major advantage.

Now this, and suddenly they seem much more beatable. Probably both my initial apprehension and now my optimism were and are both overblown. I wish Nix well in his recovery, but I'm gonna wander a little into ******* territory and regard this as good news. Fate is being oddly kind to us this year, but fortune, of course, is a fickle and perverse goddess, with an affinity for irony, who loves to set you up for a fall. On the other hand, somebody is gonna win this thing, and I can't think of an overwhelming reason why it can't - against all preseason expectations - be us.

My other impression was that the NFL really has got to do something about having a bunch of amateurs - old fat guys and unqualified instances of social experimentation - referee their games. I understand it violates macho norms to complain about the refs, but this is ********. The league has been successful in achieving competitive equity, which only makes the role of refereeing proportionally more important. The refs simply play a greater role in the outcome of games, and the quality and professionalism of that aspect of the game has got to be improved to a point commensurate with that increased importance.

 

[fnordcircle]

If it is the Patriots, the haters definitely will say there is an asterisk and that the Patriots still haven't played anyone.

But who cares? If the Pats win the Super Bowl, all that BS will be forgotten. The Lombardi trophy won't. The 72 Dolphins had a historically easy schedule in their undefeated season. Easier than the Patriots' schedule. No one talks about that.

I think people either weren't around or have hazy memories because people were ****ting on Tom Brady for ****ing years as a JAG game manager, etc.

2007 was when things finally truly started to shift but even then you had people right up to the end who would never admit he was the better overall QB compared to Manning.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Stidham might have become great, who knows, we should practice like he is great. And who is Foxborough would have any real idea of his game? Oh that’s right

Just kidding, that would be a career ago, if he had a career. Seriously, they should prep like there’s no tomorrow if we even get past Houston.

 

[StockingAnarchyNumber12]

I’m not convinced NE moves on today. They have a shot, which is what you want. But if they are fortunate enough to play the AFCCG with a healthy Drake Maye, I like their chances.

Yeah, this is going to be a tough game. Let’s pull the brakes on the AFCCG. I want it as much as anybody but the Patriots need to take care of business first

 

[Thelonious]

Stidham might have become great, who knows, we should practice like he is great. And who is Foxborough would have any real idea of his game? Oh that’s right

Just kidding, that would be a career ago, if he had a career. Seriously, they should prep like there’s no tomorrow if we even get past Houston.

I think he's unspectacular but reliably competent. He's had a couple of games where he's actually played better than that. I'm not sure he's much worse than what I thought Nix would be, though Nix certainly outplayed my expectations in the Buffalo game. I think you're right: we should prepare as if he will play pretty darn well, because he probably will.

 

[Rob0729]

 

[Uptown]

 

[Thelonious]

BTW, Both Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant were injured yesterday and their status for next week is up in the air. They are the Broncos second and third best WRs. Franklin went out with a hamstring injury and didn't return. Bryant had a concussion.

So not only will the Broncos have Stidham as the starter, but they will likely be short handed at WR.

Dark soul that I am, as I read this, I thought,' "Well, before we gloat too much, we should probably wait to see which of our players get injured in this round. I should probably be metaphorically ridden out of town on a metaphorical rail for having such evil thoughts, but the playoffs are a long brutal process, more a battle of attrition than any of us would like to see, for any of the teams. Football is beautiful game, but it's a dark beauty, and our pleasure in it is rightly a guilty one, I often think.

 

[p8ryts]

If we play Denver, I will worry about Stidham having the game of his life. If somehow we don’t play them, I will be cheering for him.

 

[shmessy]

This wouldn't be the first time some random ass garbage QB had an insane playoff game against us (Hello Nick Foles)

As long as Mike Vrabel doesn’t have a psychotic event 10 minutes pregame like Belichick and mysteriously ban Marcus Jones from the game, then the Patriots should be fine.

.

 

[shmessy]

Ian, this has been discussed enough, and it has no real relevance unless or until we win tomorrow. THEN it becomes a valid topic again an we can talk about it ad nauseum

Ken I understand the feeling but, as long as it doesn’t enter the Houston Pregame, Houston In-Game or Houston Post-Game threads, what’s the harm?

There are some posts the past few hours in the Houston pre-Game thread about Nix’ injury and I fully agree with you about it in that space.

.

 

[Kargetina]

Someone on Xitter claimed "The Patriots are officially no longer playing with house money." I don't quite agree, but I do agree that they need to try and take advantage of this opportunity.

There's no such thing as ''house money'' in the NFL. This isn't the NBA, where the margin of error is HUGE (You can lose up to 12 games in the playoffs and still win the championship) and having two star players has a far bigger influence than having two star players in the NFL.

Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson have played for 16 combined seasons and they have zero Super Bowl appearances. The Packers won the SB in the first season of contention with Rodgers, and never made it back in the next 12 years. The Bengals have missed the playoffs the last three years, after reaching the Super Bowl and seemingly being contenders for the following 10 years.

Having a great QB doesn't mean anything. Forget about the Brady/Belichick duo, they were an aberration, not the rule.

There are 32 teams, and every year injuries, luck, refs, bad coaching decisions, bad drafts, in-form rivals, influence the outcome. Just because the Pats have a seemingly great future, it doesn't guarantee playing the SB, your luck can change on a dime, the Commanders made the Championship with a young star QB last year, it was house money, right? Well, they were 5-12 this year and a mile away from the playoffs.

The Pats have a golden opportunity this year, a weak AFC, incredible luck with injuries, tons of injuries to our opponents, including a possible AFCCG against a back-up that has won 1 game as a starter in 7 years. You have to reach and grab the hell out of this opportunity because there might not be a similar one in the next 10 years. There are absolutely no guarantees.

 

[Wozzy]

Beat the Texans.

 

[The Gr8est]

BTW, Both Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant were injured yesterday and their status for next week is up in the air. They are the Broncos second and third best WRs. Franklin went out with a hamstring injury and didn't return. Bryant had a concussion.

So not only will the Broncos have Stidham as the starter, but they will likely be short handed at WR.

What about Mims?

He was injured on that end zone catch late in the game. Lower back?